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Archive for May, 2015

Stop-loss Contract Periods Explained | New York Benefits Broker

May 29th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in General News, Industry News

By Michael Humphrey, MLHR, Sr. Employee Benefits Advisor at The Wilson Agency A UBA Partner Firm In last week’s blog, we explained the different types of stop-loss insurance. This week we will go over another important aspect of stop-loss: contract periods. Stop-loss contract periods are perhaps the most complicated aspect of understanding how stop-loss insurance […]

EAP and COBRA explained | New York Employee Benefits

May 26th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in ERISA

www.thinkhr.com Question: Is an employee assistance program (EAP) a COBRA-eligible benefit? Answer: Employee assistance programs (EAPs) that offer medical benefits such as direct counseling and treatment, rather than just referrals for counseling and treatment, are regulated under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and therefore subject to reporting and notice requirements under the act. […]

The Key to Reducing Health Care Costs – Have We Found It? | NY Benefits Broker

May 22nd, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health News, PPACA, Wellness

By Elizabeth Kay Compliance & Retention Analyst AEIS Advisors A UBA Partner Firm Self-funding is a very hot topic these days for a number of reasons. For small group employers offering a self-funded plan this means they can charge a composite premium rate based on the employee population versus the community rates that are based […]

Two PPACA Taxes Might Get the Ax | NY Employee Benefits

May 19th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in PPACA

By Jennifer Kupper In-house Counsel for iaCONSULTING, a UBA Partner Firm Health Insurance Providers Fee Section 9010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) imposes a fee on each covered entity engaged in the business of providing health insurance for United States health risks. This is known as the Health Insurance Providers (HIP) […]

Proposed Rule on Wellness Programs under the Americans with Disabilities Act | New York Benefits Broker

May 14th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Industry News

By Danielle Capilla, Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Federal agencies recently released a Proposed Rule to amend regulations and provide guidance on implementing Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as it relates to employer wellness programs. Title I of the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees, prohibits […]

Region Matters When It Comes to HSA Funding, CDHP Adoption | New York Employee Benefits

May 12th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health Insurance, Health News

By Bill Olson Chief Marketing Officer at United Benefit Advisors We’ve already discussed Health Savings Account (HSA) activity at length, looking first at the correlation between generous HSA contributions and increased enrollment in consumer-driven health plans (CDHPs). Second, we looked at how HSAs have performed in recent years across different industries. Now, we’ll look closer […]

Stroke Awareness month | Brio Benefits

May 7th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in Health News

April 2015 is Stroke Awareness month. About 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke. That means, on average, a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. Stroke kills more than 137,000 people a year. That’s about 1 of every 18 deaths. It’s the No. 4 cause of death. On average, every 4 minutes someone […]

Top 5 Questions about Medicare Secondary Payer Rules | New York Benefits Broker

May 4th, 2015   |   by admin   |   in PPACA

By Danielle Capilla Chief Compliance Officer at United Benefit Advisors Under federal regulations, Medicare is a secondary payer for many individuals who have an employer group health plan available to them, either as an employee or the dependent spouse or child of the employee. Generally the Medicare Secondary Payer rules prohibit employers with more than […]